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Description

Chicken and couscous cooked with a blend of green pepper, onion, tomato, red wine, cheese and spices for a complex yet robust flavor. It’s so quick and easy to prepare and is very filling, too. As it’s one of my favorites, I make it at least once a week.

Preparation

1. Mince the canned chicken until it’s broken up or fine. (It’s very tender, so I just mash it with a cooking spoon. Mashing it in the skillet also works.)
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the chicken, water, tomato sauce, salt, garlic and herb seasoning, green pepper, and onion. Bring to boil and let it simmer for several minutes until pepper is tender.
3. Remove from heat. Add wine and stir. Add couscous. Cover and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in cheese right before serving. Enjoy!

Notes:
1. Prep time assumes pre-chopped frozen green pepper. Also, using pre-chopped onion or leaving it out will cut down on prep time.
2. Servings: Without scaling, this makes at least 6 cups. As a main dish, it would serve about 4 (about 1-1/2 cups each). But for guys or teens with a big appetite, it might only serve 2. In fact, I am a 180 pound guy and when I’m very hungry I can eat the whole thing (and nothing else). I’ve never had leftovers. But sometimes it’s almost too much for me, even when I’m hungry.
3. Wine: I’ve tried this with different wines, but a red is best. For this dish I prefer Lucky Duck Cabernet Sauvignon (at Wal-Mart for $3.97), which has “rich cherry and fruity blackberry notes”.
4. Amounts and substitution: This recipe is forgiving. I usually eyeball it and it always turns out good. Variations are also good. But using one of the two name-brand garlic and herb spices is essential.
5. When I’m lazy, I’ll use all frozen green pepper (about 1-1/2 cups) instead of the freshly chopped onion. It’s still very good. Though, fresh onion is cheaper than green pepper.
6. Do not use the entire 8-ounce can of tomato sauce as it won’t taste as good. However, fresh diced tomatoes or canned petite diced tomatoes also work. I’ve tried both and the flavor and texture is a bit different.
7. For cheese I mostly use a fiesta blend. I’ve tried mozzarella, but it seems … lacking. A similar recipe calls for 1/4 cup crumbled feta, but I haven’t tried that. Originally, I used 1/2 cup fiesta blend and about 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. But I dropped the Parmesan for health reasons.